Iran, Turkmenistan to boost military cooperation

Iranian and Turkmen defense ministers emphasized boosting cooperation in the military area during a meeting in Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat.

Referring to the historical, cultural and religious commonalities between the Islamic Republic and Turkmenistan, Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan said that the mutual ties should be boosted in all fields, Iran's ISNA news agency reported Sept. 15.

Dehghan underlined that Iran regards regional countries' security and development as its own, calling the Iran-Turkmenistan borders "borders of friendship and brotherhood".

Caspian Sea lateral states should cooperate for protecting the security and stability in the region based on good neighborliness and trust, the Iranian minister added.

Turkmen defense minister, Colonel Begench Gundogdiev, emphasized cooperation between the two sides on military and security issues, and expressed his country's readiness for transfer of experience in this area.

The two sides also stressed cooperation on fighting terrorism and extremism.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Dehghan arrived in Ashgabat on Sept. 15 and was welcomed by his Turkmen counterpart.

The Iranian official is in Turkmenistan at the invitation of Gundogdiev to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues with senior Turkmen political and military officials.

This is the first visit by an Iranian defense minister to Turkmenistan since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.